Recent years have seen an increase in the use of “geofencing,” that is, the use of global positioning system (GPS) data and other such position-related data to define a virtual boundary in two-dimensional space. One or more events can then be triggered (e.g., by a central server or other central control unit) when a user (and/or mobile device carried by the user) enters or exits the virtual boundary. For example, a hospital may utilize geofencing to determine whether a patient has left a virtual boundary defined by the perimeter of a hospital structure, or a retailer might utilize geofencing to provide an electronic coupon to a user when that user enters a virtual boundary defined by the exterior of a shopping mall.
Currently known geofencing systems are unsatisfactory in a number of respects, however. For example, prior art geofencing techniques are generally two-dimensional (i.e., are defined within a planar map) and thus do not comprehend an altitude, height, or “z-axis” attribute. As a result, such systems are not capable of determining, for example, whether a user is actually located within an apartment complex or other tall structure. Furthermore, other home automation and security tasks are less effective, as they are not able to determine whether a user has changed floors within a home.
It is therefore desirable to create improved systems, devices and processes for accurately determining the location of a user and/or mobile device in three dimensions. These and other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background section.